Category: Melomania

Sampling is a huge part of today’s music industry. Though producers (usually) have permission from the original creator of the sample to use it, many claim that the practice is making a mockery of the once pure art of composing, and that musicians should be writing their own music rather than just ripping off some …

This second installment of Melomania is the beginning of a three-part series about how music grows out of other music. After the massive critical and commercial success of their third album OK Computer, Radiohead didn’t know where to go next. Some wanted to continue on the path of alternative rock, but lead singer and songwriter …

Welcome to Melomania, the podcast where I, Patrick Simpson, deconstruct music and what it means. In this episode, we take a look at the underappreciated art of the soundtrack. Our case study is Terry Gilliam’s cult sci-fi hit Brazil, a film in which the majority of the soundtrack only features variations on one song—Ary Barroso’s …